Package for article of merchandise



June 8, 1965 R. SINCLAIR PACKAGE FOR ARTICLE OF MERCHANDISE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1961 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. SINCLAIR June 8, 1965 R. L. SINCLAIR 3,187,889

PACKAGE FOR ARTICLE OF MERCHANDISE Filed May 8, 1961 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5 *7 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. SINCLAIR United States Patent $187,889 PACKAGE FOR ARTICLE OF MERCHANDISE Robert L. Sinclair, Dedham, Mass., assignor to'The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass a corporation of Delaware Filed May 8, 1961, Ser. No. 108,494

b 6 Claims. (Cl. 206 -65) This invention comprises a new and improved package 3,187,889 Patented June 8, 1965 FIG. 4 is a view in longitudinal section of the two cartons and their contents as they are being separated,

FIG. 5 is a similar sectional View showing the package closed,

FIG. 6 is a view in elevation showing the cards in process of transfer to a display rack,

FIG. 7 is a reduced cross sectional View on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5, and

FIG, 8 is a view in perspective of a carton of modified construction.

The invention is herein shown in its application to display cards of the character best shown in FIG. 2. These cards 10 are substantially rectangular and provided with a row of perforations 11 adjacent to their upper edge. To the lower portion of each card is secured a rectangular razor blade dispenser 12 containing a quantity of blades to dealers substantial quantities of rectangular display v cards, each having a blade dispenser and each perforated so that it may be hung upon the projecting rods of a display rack designed to be placed on a counter, or perhaps above the dealers cash register. The package of this invention is designed to contain ten or more of such cards in an extremely compact nested relation and in such fashion that 'the cards are safeguarded against all damage and may be delivered when the package is opened with their perforations exposed in fixedalignment so that they may be threaded in undisturbed groups upon the rods of the display rack.

In one aspect therefore the invention comprises a pair of mating or telescopically fitting cartons each containing a set or series of cards spaced apart by their attached articles, in this case blade dispensers, and facing in opposite directions in their respective cartons. The cards are also disposed with their perforated portions extending outwardly from the carton and in the closed package the cards of one carton are interleaved alternately with the cards of the other carton. b b

A feature of the invention consists in providing each carton with an internal retaining flange arranged to en gage or interlock with a shoulder or shoulders formed in the edges of the cards and acting to retain each set of cards in its own carton when the two are separated in opening the package.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing each carton with a wall collapsible when forcibly displaced in order that the shouldered cards may be removed as a group by sliding them out of engagement with the retaining flange. I I

Still a further feature of the invention consists in a single unit carton which may be employed as a component of the package above described or as a unitary container or holder for a set of display cards. It has the advantage of holding the cards firmly in spaced upright position where they will attract the attention of prospective customers and at the same time resistingu nauthorized removal of a card sufficiently to discourage pilfering.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected forpurposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: if

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective ofone of the component cartons in open condition,

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective showing the carton and the cards preparatory to their insertion,

FIG. 3 is'a view in perspective showing the filled mating cartons after separation,

leaving space in the upper part of the card for advertising matter or the announcement of price, the card being of such size as to deter pilferage. Each card is symmetrically provided in its side edges with an upwardly directed shoulder 13.

The package provides two identical cartons 2t) and 20' each of which is designed to receive a set or group of the cards 10 arranged in parallel relation and spaced from each other by their attached blade dispensers 12 as shown in FIG. 2. Each carton comprises a bottom 21 and upright side walls 22 each of which is provided along its upper edge with a foldable flange 23. When the flanges 23 are folded inwardly they form downwardly directed retaining members that are engaged by the shoulders 13 of the cards 10 so that when the cards have been once inserted they are held by the flanges 23 or 23 against removal as indicated in FIG. 3. When the cards are inserted the flanges are pushed aside and then snap back into engagement with the shoulders 13 and are locked in operative position by engaging the sides of the cards above the shoulders 13. The carton 20 has also a hinged back wall 24 connected to the side walls 22 by gussets 25. When the carton is closed the back wall is folded into upright position as shown in FIG. 2. When it is desired to remove the cards the back wall is forced outwardly as shown in FIG. 1, and in this position the cards are free to be withdrawn, rearwardly from the carton the shoulders 13 sliding outwardly beneath the retaining flanges 23. Each carton 29 has also an upstanding front wall 26 which extends substantially above the side walls 22 and serves as a guide when the cartons are brought together in closing the package.

In'FIG. 3 the two filled cartons 20 and 20' are shown as aligned with each other after they have been separated and in this position it will be seen that the two sets of cards in their respective cartons are oppositely oriented.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the cards of one carton are interleaved alternately with the cards of the other carton and the front wall extensions 26 of the two cartons are brought into parallel'relation. In the closed package each pair of cards is separated by two of the blade dispensers 12, one located above another with the greatest possible economy of space.

' In assembling the package the interleaved cards are loaded in the lower of the two cartons and then the empty upper or cover carton is closed upon the assembly. Or if more convenient, the two series of cardsmay be arranged in their separate cartons and then brought together in the cartons as suggested in FIG. 4.

The package may be opened by merely pulling the cartons 20-20 apart and in this operation each set of cards is retained in its own carton by the flanges 23-23 as already explained and as shown in FIG. 3. The cards may then be threaded onto a rod 17 of a display rack 13 and transferred as a group to the rod by pulling the carton away from the rack while restraining the cards on the rod to prevent them from sliding olf thereby forcing i the backwall to fold down as suggested in FIG. 6. It

will be seen that when the package is'opened the cards in each carton will be maintained positively in alignment with their perforations 11 all in registration and ready to receive the rods 17 of the display rack. The perforations 1.11 are made elongated if it is intended to thread the stack of cards on rods having upwardly bent card retaining ends as often found on merchandise racks of this type.

, It is desirable to restrain the back wall 24 from opening except when it is forcibly pushed rearwardly, and to this end the gussets 2'7 are provided with flat end edges 28 which fit beneath the folded-over flanges 23. The size of these flat end edges 27 will determine the amount of force needed to open the back wall.

A carton of modified construction is shown in'FIG, 8 as having a bottom 31 and side walls 32 provided with inturned retaining flanges 33. The back wall 34 is provided with side wings 35 of quadrant shape having flat end edges 36 that are arranged to fit beneath the retaining flanges 33 in the closed carton and so hold the front wall in place and closed until forcibly opened. If preferred the front wall may be set off by scoredlines or perforations that will permit it to be broken away when it is to be opened.

If desired when the package is opened either carton may be stored separately until it is desired to transfer the contents to the rack or may be separately placed on a counter or the like for displaying the cards it contains as suggested by the carton 2% in FIG. 3. The package is conveniently sealedby taping together the abutting edges of the side walls 22 of the mating cartons and/ or by taping the front wall 26 of one carton to the rear wall 24 of'the other.

In many cases it is desirable to provide some restraint against separation of the two cartons and to this end each side of each card is provided with a small downwardly directed shoulder 14 spaced from the upwardly directed shoulder 13 as indicated in FIG. 7. It will be appreciated that the flange 23 of one carton engages the wide retaining shoulder 13 so as to prevent removal of the card therefrom while the corresponding flange of the other carton engages the small restraining shoulder 14. The size and shape ofthe shoulders 14 will determine the amount of restraint provided against separation of the two cartons but they must, of course, not be made so large as to mutilate the cards when the cartons are forcibly separated against this restraint.

The two cartons may be made from a common blank in which case only one carton is provided with a larger front wall 26 and the two cartons are joined along a perforated hinge defining a line of separation between the back wall 24 of the one carton and the other carton.

Having thus disclosed by invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new I and. desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A package for cards, comprising a pair of mating cartons each having an internal flange, and in each carton,

1 a series of cards having shouldered edges engaged with saidflanges and retained thereby, the cards of one carton being interleaved alternately and substantially coextensively with the cards of the other carton in the closed front wall of the comprising a pair of telescopically fitting cartons each having a collapsible end wall and having an internal cardretaining flange and a series 'of cards having shouldered edges engaged with said flange and retained thereby and spaced apart by their attached articles, facing in opposite directions in their respective cartons and having their perforated portion extending outwardly from the carton, the cards of one carton being interleaved alternately and substantially coextensively with those of the other carton when the cartons are closed and having their perforated portions exposed when the two cartons are separated.

3.A package of article-carrying cards, comprising a pair of oppositely-facing cartons, each having an internalcard-retaining flange and a series of cards having shouldered edges engaged by said flange and retained therby at their inner ends while their outer ends extend into the other carton in alternate, substantially coextensive arrangement with respect to the cards thereof, said internal flange of each carto'nbeing deflectable whereby one carton is adapted to receive both series of cards with the flange thereof engaging the shouldered edges of one series to prevent removal thereof while leaving the other series free and the other carton is adapted to close the package by being placed over the cards in juxtaposition with said 25 one carton to cause the flange thereof to engage the shouldered edges of the other series of cards.

4. A package of cards each perforated at one edge and carrying razor blades ,on one face adjacent to the other edge, comprising a pair of mating cartons each having an internal card-retaining flange and a series of cards having shoulderededges engaged by said flange and retained thereby with their perforated ends projecting outw wardly whereby the perforations are exposed to view and their inner portions spaced apart by said razor blades, said flange of each carton being deflectable whereby one carton is adapted toreceiveboth series of cards with the flange thereof engaging the shouldered edges of one series to prevent removal thereof while leaving the other series free and the other carton is adapted to close the package by being placedyover the cards in juxtaposition with said one carton to cause the flange thereof to engage the shouldered edges of the other series of cards.

5. A display unit comprising an open top carton having side walls with inwardly projecting deflectable flanges and a back wall yieldingly held in upright position, in combination with a plurality of rectangular perforated display cards having shouldered side edges engaged by said flanges and retained thereby within the carton and arranged to slide forwardly thereon when the back wall is folded into horizontal position.

6. A package for cards, comprising a pair of mating cartons each having an internal flange on the side walls thereof, and in each carton, a series of cards having shouldered edges engaged with said flanges and retained thereby, the cards of one carton being interleaved alternately with the cards of the other carton in the closed package, each carton having a back wall that is collapsible to permit withdrawal of the cards in the open package.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/39 Fleming 20646 1/57 Vogt 229-34 1/58 Nelson 20665 4/61 Amatel 206-65 5/61 Amatel et al 206-65 8/61 Hankus 20665 12/62 Amatel j. 20645 .1 1 2/64 Snape 20678 FOREIGN PATENTS 656,071 8/51 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE I. DRUMMOND, GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiners. 

1. A PACKAGE FOR CARDS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF MATING CARTONS EACH HAVING AN INTERNAL FLANGE, AND IN EACH CARTON, A SERIES OF CARDS HAVING SHOULDERED EDGES ENGAGED WITH SAID FLANGES AND RETAINED THEREBY, THE CARDS OF ONE CARTON BEING INTERLEAVED ALTERNATELY AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVELY WITH THE CARDS OF THE OTHER CARTON IN THE CLOSED PACKAGE, SAID FLANGE OF EACH CARTON BEING DEFECTABLE WHEREBY ONE CARTON IS ADAPTED TO REEIVE BOTH SERIES OF CARDS WITH THE FLANGE THEREOF ENGAGING THE SHOULDERED EDGES OF OTHER SERIES TO PREVENT REMOVAL THEREOF WHILE LEAVING THE OTHER SERIES FREE AND THE OTHER CARTON IS ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE PACKAGE BY BEING PLACED OVER THE CARDS IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID ONE CARTON TO CAUSE THE FLANGE THEREOF TO ENGAGE THE SHOULDERED EDGES OF THE OTHER SERIES OF CARDS. 